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On this page
  1. Why it matters
  2. How the section works
  3. The paths
  4. What people mix up
  5. How to check
  6. Limits
  7. Related records
  8. Sources

Home / Guides / For builders — detailing / Craftsman eaves under R327

Craftsman eaves under R327

Last verified 2026-08-24.

Section through an exposed rafter-tail eave under 12 feet, with Type X, blocking, an ember-resistant vent, Class B roofing, and exempt fascia.
FA Exhibit DET-001. Compliant exposed eave — one R327 path. After ORSC R327.3.4.1, R327.3.2.1, and R327.3.3, and the 25 June 2026 Central Oregon seminar worked example. Illustrative — not a construction document. Verify with your building official. CC BY 4.0.

Exposed Craftsman rafter tails are not banned. Where R327 is adopted and any portion of the eave framing is under 12 feet, you pick a numbered underside path. Type X behind the covering is one. Fascia is exempt. A 4x tail is seminar practice, not a fifth numbered eave item in R327.3.4.1. Confirm with the building official.

You are under an open tail. The inspector is looking at the lowest framing, not the ridge. Fascia is exempt. A 4x tail is seminar practice, not a fifth numbered eave item.

Why it matters

Central Oregon still draws open tails. Embers and heat collect on the underside. The 12-foot rule is a height trigger, not a style ban. See the 12-foot rule.

How the section works

R327.3.4.1 (amendment PDF) protects the exposed underside of rafter or truss eaves and enclosed soffits when any portion of the framing is less than 12 feet above grade or a similar surface below.

R327.2 defines heavy timber as sawn lumber or glued-laminated wood with the smallest minimum nominal dimension of 4 inches. Walls may use a heavy-timber assembly. Underfloor columns and beams have a heavy-timber exception. The eave list does not reprint “heavy timber” as item 6.

The paths

1. Noncombustible covering on the underside. ASTM E136 is how R327 defines noncombustible.

2. Ignition-resistant covering. Extended ASTM E84 or UL 723 as defined in R327.2. See ASTM E2768.

3. Type X path. One layer of 5/8 inch Type X exterior gypsum sheathing applied behind an exterior covering on the underside of the rafter tails, truss tails, or soffit. See Type X behind the covering.

4. One-hour exterior-wall assembly applied to the underside, including Gypsum Association manual assemblies.

5. ASTM E2957 soffit that meets R327.3.4.5. See ASTM E2957.

6. Height exception. All portions of the framing members 12 feet or greater above grade, and 2-inch nominal eave fireblocking between roof framing members from the wall top plate to the underside of the roof sheathing.

7. Gable-end overhangs and roof assembly projections beyond an exterior wall other than at the lower end of the rafter tails.

8. Fascia and other architectural trim boards. Exempt. See fascia exemption.

Vents in the tail. R327.3.2.1 blocks underside openings unless the official accepts a manufactured ember- and flame-resistant vent, or the opening is 12 feet up. Vented fiber-cement soffit is not that vent.

Seminar 4x detail. On 25 June 2026, City of Bend Building Safety and Deschutes County Community Development presented exposed-eave practice, including heavy-timber-sized tails. That is event testimony. It is not a substitute for the numbered list. If you draw 4x tails, put the official’s accepted path on the sheet.

Do not scrape a community exhibit. Do not use inbox dimensions.

What people mix up

  • Calling open tails illegal.
  • Wrapping fascia because the tails are protected.
  • Using ordinary bird-block vents under 12 feet.
  • Treating 4x as a printed R327.3.4.1 item.
  • Copying California enclosed-eave checklists onto an Oregon Craftsman. CWUIC is a different book.
  • Treating Oregon’s fascia exemption as CWRC 404.2. Colorado Class 2 requires fascia and protects the backside.

How to check

Measure from grade to the lowest eave framing, not the ridge. Pick a numbered path or an exception. If you enclose, the wall covering terminates at the enclosure (R327.3.3.1). If you stay open, the underside still needs a path. Show the product or the gypsum on the drawings.

Limits

This page does not design your tail. It does not quote private email. It does not decide what Bend or Deschutes will stamp on a given job. Event testimony is dated 25 June 2026.

Eaves, 12-foot rule, unvented attic, mesh versus listed vents.

Sources

  1. 2023 ORSC Section R327 amendment
  2. Deschutes County Fire Hardening Requirements (R327)
  3. BCD wildfire hazard mitigation

Questions

Are exposed rafter tails banned?

No. Where any portion of the eave framing is under 12 feet, R327.3.4.1 requires one of the listed underside protections, unless an exception applies. Tails 12 feet and higher with 2-inch nominal fireblocking between roof framing members are an exception. Gable-end overhangs are another. Fascia is exempt.

Is 4x lumber the code’s eave path?

R327.2 defines heavy timber as sawn or glued-laminated wood with a smallest minimum nominal dimension of 4 inches. That definition is used for walls and for underfloor columns and beams. The numbered eave list is noncombustible, ignition-resistant, Type X, a one-hour assembly, or ASTM E2957. Presenters at the 25 June 2026 seminar described a 4x tail detail as practice. Confirm with the official. Do not invent tail dimensions from a private email.

Can I leave bird-block vents in the tail?

R327.3.2.1 does not allow ventilation openings on the underside of eaves, soffits, or cornices unless the official accepts a manufactured ember- and flame-resistant vent, or the opening is 12 feet or more above grade. Ordinary bird-block screening is not that exception.

Do I have to wrap the fascia?

No. R327.3.4.1 Exception 3 names fascia and other architectural trim boards. See the fascia finding.

Sources